League Director gives two fingers to First Division

**pineapple stu** · 27/02/2009, 3:00 PM

Originally Posted by Angus

Are you Fran Gavin ? I have never seen you together so clearly you are the same person

I've seen me and Fran at the same time, so it's OK. Have independent witnesses to corroborate this too.

I wasn't going to post this because I thought I'd be going off topic, but then, I realised it was a bit late for that.

Originally Posted by pete

The 1st division is already subsidised by the Premier - the winner this year gets 66k which is more than 4th place in the Premier.

Do you think the Premier has earned all the E1m prize money for this year?

I'd be fairly sure all the prize money is subsidised by the national team. No League of Ireland games should be shown on telly at all, in fact. You wuoldn't want to show off your worst suit, so why show Cork?

**Sniffer** · 27/02/2009, 3:13 PM

What Fran Gavin said was correct, he just shouldn't be saying it in public.He is supposed to be promoting the league, yet he's ended up offering even more ammunition to the its detractors. JD needs to buy him a muzzle.

**citybone** · 27/02/2009, 3:14 PM

they should show the odd game in the 1st division, but the priority should be to show the prem division, like there might be a game in the 1st division which might be more important than a prem division game on one weekend but 9 times out of 10 there will be more important games in the prem division

**oriel** · 27/02/2009, 3:25 PM

Originally Posted by Mr Maroon

I agree with him. Why should the First Division be treated as equal to the Premier?

Would you feel the same way next season if you were relegated ?

No reason why a goals round up from the first div cant be sorted out for MNS this season, that would settle all of this. Have it at the end of the show as a wrap up.

The question of First Div games live on tv was never in question, how many have there ever been 1 or 2 ?

**passerrby** · 27/02/2009, 3:27 PM

Originally Posted by pete

True. But you are not comparing like with like. Do they show Conference North or South games? The 1st division is already subsidised by the Premier - the winner this year gets 66k which is more than 4th place in the Premier.

how do you work that out pete the registration fees are the same refs fees, the first have the same licensing requirements the only difference is the prem gets 79% of the money available and all of the airtime.

**pete** · 27/02/2009, 3:43 PM

The FAI are already foregoing 5m in revenue to get RTE to do the MNS show. How much extra would it be worth for them to show the 1st division?

**CMcC** · 27/02/2009, 3:46 PM

All these examples of England and other countries showing lower division football all have the same thing in common. That is, those countries show a huge amount (some may too much) of live football from the top division thoughout the season.

Now compare that to us, where we have a few live games on TV during the season from the top division. Then lets be realistc about forgoing a couple of the few Premier games to accomodate putting a First Division game or two on. The viewer figures for a first division game surely wouldn't interest any broadcaster.
I am an LoI supporter but being honest unless its a late in the season, something at stake game, like Limerick vs Shels last season, I probably wouldnt be too interested in watching a First Division game either.

Sorry, but it makes absolutely no sense to me at all.
As for should he have said it to the national press? Of course he shouldn't.

**passerrby** · 27/02/2009, 3:53 PM

Originally Posted by pete

The FAI are already foregoing 5m in revenue to get RTE to do the MNS show. How much extra would it be worth for them to show the 1st division?

5m to promote 10 teams is not value for money

**Youths4Ever** · 27/02/2009, 4:40 PM

Originally Posted by Boh_So_Good

BRAVO

One of the things which has always been fundementally wrong with Irish society is we reward failure and superficial victim complexes which serve only to create a pointless level playing field of averageness for all. Thus the cream of the crop in terms of Irish talent across all sectors of society have a ball and chain made up of parish pumps and the isolated connected to their feet dragging them back. O'Socialism.

There is a Parish Pump mindset among the First Div Clubs were they are somehow not getting the respect they should. Firstly, the only aim of a First Division Club should to do their best not to be one anymore. That's it.

People who take issue Fran Gavin's refreshingly honest comments are the same people who have us building Western Rail Corridors between villages in the West of Ireland while the Dublin Rail DART/Communter system is bursting at the seams...the same mentality which has every passenger into Knock Airport being susidised by the taxpayers for 290 Euro each so people in the rural Mayo can feel loved...the same reason why cities like Cork and Limerick remain underdeveloped while villages in Roscommon like Boyle have the best of everything and are still ****holes...the same reason we pour billions into the Irish language while our schools turn out kids who have appalling English language and grammar skill.

We have to get over this mindset in this country, especially LOI football if we are to move anything in this country forward. The days of rewarding failure has to end, well said Fran Gavin - should be running the country, let alone the LOI.

Firstly I like to point out that I some what agree with Fran Gavin the standard in most games of the 1st division is not good enough for live tv but then again either is some of the games of the premier division that are shown. As pointed out not a lot of difference in quality between bottom four of premier division and top 3-4 in the first.

the majority of first division fans realise that the premier division will always get more coverage than the first division all most people asking for is help promoting the first division 5-10 mins on MNS would help in this and not comments like those from Fran Gavin.

How hard will it be to sell advertising boards after the comment oh yeah buy some advertising from us but you will never be on tv or get national press coverage.

As for the non football comments Dublin has always gotten money before anywhere else in this country. A "Dublin Rail DART/Communter system is bursting at the seams" at least you have the option of public transport personally have to travel min 15-20 by car mins to get to a bus or train station. Why should rural Ireland not have a rail link between towns without having to travel to Dublin first. Your short minded and ignorant view of anything outside the pale is what is really wrong with this country.

Before anybody gives to me about bashing people from Dublin I have no problem with people from Dublin expect those with a short view of anything outside the pale like Boh So Good seems to display the same way as if someone from Wexford started lamenting anything outside of Wexford.

**mypost** · 27/02/2009, 4:46 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

I'd be fairly sure all the prize money is subsidised by the national team.

I'm sure, the tv companies who show live games and highlights contribute to the prize money as well, along with all other official league sponsors.

Every game in England is covered every week in some form, from the PL down to League 2. Every club earns the right to be shown.

I would prefer more goals on MNS to be shown, rather than Collins analysing what error the Sligo right back made this week.

**sligoman** · 27/02/2009, 4:53 PM

Originally Posted by mypost

rather than Collins analysing what error the Sligo right back made this week.

I'm fairly sure that never happened

**Rovers1** · 27/02/2009, 4:56 PM

Originally Posted by sligoman

I'm fairly sure that never happened

it may this year

**micls** · 27/02/2009, 5:10 PM

Originally Posted by osarusan

Are these not the very people who need to be made aware of the existence of first division clubs in their vicinity? Rather than having to find out for themselves?

Thats why I said in my other post that the are should be clear times and details about all games at the end of every show. So the person who's just watched a great game between Derry and Bohs(for example) might go and see what their own team are like.

Once they do that the club then has its chance

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

You wuoldn't want to show off your worst suit, so why show Cork?

Because we (now) have a better squad than most other teams(17 of them anyway).

Someone watching MNS or a live game is going to be watching it for the football, theyre not going to care if the team were in examinership the year before or not(imo).

Now on the other hand, if tis someone who's just reading papers about the league Id be trying to keep us away from them as much as possible, because newswise we are a disaster for the league.

Originally Posted by oriel

Would you feel the same way next season if you were relegated ?

I can honestly say yes.

I'd certainly be annoyed I couldnt watch highlights I miss but it wouldnt change my opinion on the issue. Similarly I think boring Premier games should have shorter highlights and decent quality football should get longer highlights(we were involved in plenty of boring games last year).

I think its just about packaging it right as a league.

I also wouldnt have a problem with MNS deciding to go to Fingal vs Shels instead of a premier game thats expected to be dull.

But if MNS are only willing to have 5(or however many) cameras and crews then in general the premier division will have the better football.

**Iorfa2MaccaJim** · 27/02/2009, 5:11 PM

I NEVER liked the guy anyway, but that just confirmes what I already knew.......The g!t'$ a m()pp�t

**Red&White Rover** · 27/02/2009, 5:16 PM

Originally Posted by Iorfa2MaccaJim

I NEVER liked the guy anyway, but that just confirmes what I already knew.......The g!t'$ a m()pp€t

Yeah, but you've just emphasised Boh_So_Good point about Irish people having sh*t grammar with that post.

In fact, it is just nonsense.

**pineapple stu** · 27/02/2009, 6:05 PM

Originally Posted by micls

Because we (now) have a better squad than most other teams(17 of them anyway).

It was a rhetorical question to highlight the error in pete's logical.

**mediahack** · 27/02/2009, 6:53 PM

Two mates discussing it in a pub is legimate but the head guy in the league saying it in a national newspaper is a disgrace and he should walk!!!

What it also does is reinforce the belief that this attitude is, de facto, the view in Abbottstown and is what is discussed behind closed doors.

I have no doubt that clubs have pitched to sponsors the possibility of TV exposure when they were looking for money - wonder was that part of Waterford United's pitch to land Three?

So they head to local businesses -

"would you sponsor a hoarding please?"

"No thanks, your chief in Dublin says there isn't a hope of my sign being seen on TV!!!"

That's another fine mess you've got us in, Fran!!!!!!!!!

**sligoman** · 27/02/2009, 11:08 PM

It's an absolutely disgraceful thing for someone in the FAI to say. We may think it ourselves but an FAI man shouldn't be saying it in public. How much will he get fined for that?

**GalwayRed** · 27/02/2009, 11:09 PM

Unproffessional and fairly ignorant of Gavin to come out and say that in public regardless of whether hes right or not. I dont have a problem with the FAI not wanting to show first division games live but they should at least have a goals roundup during mns.